


I'm Sorry, Martin

by orphan_account



Category: Love Simon (2018)
Genre: Apologies, Canon Divergent, Mostly at the end, Unhappy Ending, and is probably bad, canon complacent, mature for one word, so it switches verb tenses at one point, this basically takes a detour around some canon events but then still ends in the same place, this is unedited
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-22
Updated: 2018-04-22
Packaged: 2019-04-26 12:27:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14402133
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: Martin apologizes.





	I'm Sorry, Martin

Simon drives to Martin’s house after his second voicemail message. Martin just made a giant, flaming, mistake. And Simon knows he's the one that okayed it. Martin’s mom lets him in and he rushes up the stairs, two at a time.

 

He finds him at the computer. It doesn't take a genius to know what he's about to do. Anger shoots through him like a bottle rocket and he pushes him from the computer. Deletes the message and glares at Martin. He looks like he's about to say something, or maybe rip his head clean off. But he doesn't. Instead he just stomps off and slams the house door.

 

Martin is stuck in his computer chair that's been pushed into the wall. He just say there for a long time, shocked at the chain of events that just happened. When he finally blinks himself out of his stupor and succeeds in getting his mind working again, he reaches for his phone. Hesitates for only a second before he deletes all the screenshots and then moves to his computer to do the same.

What had he been thinking? He had been a dick. So he would make up for it the only way he knew how. He'd make sure Simon’s friends knew what was up.

 

The next day he was, magically, able to get Abby alone. Maybe she was serious about the whole ‘remaining friends thing’, and if Martin thought seriously about it, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

 

“Hey Abbs,” Martin sighed. Watched his toes as he pushed them into the floor. Christ, this felt awkward. This was probably- no, definitely- the first time he ever apologized for anything.

 

“Martin,” Abby nodded at him. She didn’t act that different toward him. Martin gulped. He knew in just a few seconds, that would change.

 

“I’m sorry,” Martin said the words quietly. Something rare for him, outspoken and loud person that he was.

 

“Look, Martin, it’s fine. Yeah, I really wish you hadn’t pulled that stupid stunt but I’m sure you didn’t mean much by it,” Abby sighed. Started to walk to her next class. Martin took long strides to stay by her side.

 

“That’s not what I’m apologizing for,” Martin blinked then mentally back tracked, “Well, I suppose I should apologize for that as well. But I’m apologizing for what I made Simon do.”

 

That had her stop dead in her tracks. Martin almost ran into someone else, she had stopped so suddenly. “What did you do?” Her eyes narrowed and her voice took on a deadly edge. Martin hung his head.

 

“I blackmailed Simon. I found his emails with the other gay student, and I screenshotted them. Used them to make him help me get with you,” he spoke quietly again, but she heard him loud and clear.

 

“You-” she blinked, “You’re the reason he told me that Nick didn’t like me…”

 

“Yeah.”

 

She punched him in the face and stormed off before he was even able to get the full word out of his mouth.

 

He never noticed the two bullies hiding out behind one of the lockers, listening to every word they said.

 

It should have been easier to apologize to Nick and Leah. It wasn’t. And all he got for his troubles were two more punches. He wasn’t sure which of the three punched harder, but he would put money on it being Leah.

 

At lunch the bullies put on their own sick, twisted show featuring Simon and Ethan as the main characters. It didn’t take long for the news of Simon’s sexuality to spread throughout the school. Gossip, especially that kind, had a habit of spreading like wildfire.

 

Simon caught up with him after school. If he thought Leah punched hard, nothing would’ve prepared him for an angry Simon. There was yelling,an incoherent speech, but Martin didn’t say anything. Just let Simon yell out his feelings at him. After a minute Simon wore himself out. Took a breath and spoke slower.

 

“Why did you tell them?” Simon asked.

 

“I wanted to apologize to your friends. Let them know why you did what you did,” Martin shrugged. Kept his eyes on Simon’s shoes. White sneakers. Red trim.

 

“And what, you told the bullies too?”

 

“No! No, I wouldn't- they must have overheard. You gotta believe me, I didn't tell them. I only told your friends,” Martin said, his hands clasped like he was praying.  “I just,” Martin cut himself off, bit his lip and furrowed his eyebrows, “I wanted to make things right.” His voice dropped off near the end, quieted.

 

“By outing me to my friends? Taking my story,  _ my choice, _ from me?” Simon looked at him, incredulous. “No, fuck you Martin. You didn't have the right to make that choice, no matter what your intentions were.” Simon poked him in the chest twice, hard.

 

“I said I was sorry! How do I make it up to you?” Martin finally looked back up at Simon. His eyes were still large and pleading. Simon continued to ignore them.

 

“Don't you get it? There's nothing you can do,” Simon said. He shook his head in disappointment, mumbled “nothing” once more and walked away.


End file.
